What is Your OXY/PROPANE Torch Set Up

Gee,where do I start on this one ? I have been burning scrap thirty years now,so i think i have a little imput. Propane/liquid oxy is the way to go to cut scrap.All you need is a oxy regulator and a regulator off and old barbecue(better flow) Either kind of hose will work and a torch with and oxy/propane tip. All the oxy /propane tips i have seen are two peice meaning that you can split them and clean them with a wire brush. If you burn the end off,you simply cut the end of the tip off with a hack saw,dress with a file and you are off burning again.Cutting scrap is a lot different than fitting,since the tip is never at 90 degrees to the steel.You wash more than cut with the torch(you wear a lot less sparks that way) This will not work with less than 100# of oxy. If you need to make a fine cut for fitting,put in a small tip,pile on the oxy,and the cut will look like it was cut with a saw. When I was first trained as a burner,the boss told me "a fitter will never burn and a burner will never fit" The rare times that i do fit these days,I have to mentaly tell myself to slow down the cut,run the tip at 90 degrees and clean off the rust/dirt before i start.Compressed gas cylinders will last about twenty minutes at 150# and a #8 tip(baby tip) a liquid oxy tank will last about two days. As far as production goes,a good burner produces 20 ton a day on a bad day of prepared 4 ft. On the crews i have worked on less than twenty ton a day gets you fired on the spot. Good luck burning and just remember that the furnace at the steel plant never checks to see if the cut is straight or square. As a parting tip,all burners have a quarter sized scar on each foot from hot ones in the boot,if you get a hot one,never stop,just grin and bear it and keep slashing

Originally Posted by hmburner

Gee,where do I start on this one ? I have been burning scrap thirty years now,so i think i have a little imput. Propane/liquid oxy is the way to go to cut scrap.All you need is a oxy regulator and a regulator off and old barbecue(better flow) Either kind of hose will work and a torch with and oxy/propane tip. All the oxy /propane tips i have seen are two peice meaning that you can split them and clean them with a wire brush. If you burn the end off,you simply cut the end of the tip off with a hack saw,dress with a file and you are off burning again.Cutting scrap is a lot different than fitting,since the tip is never at 90 degrees to the steel.You wash more than cut with the torch(you wear a lot less sparks that way) This will not work with less than 100# of oxy. If you need to make a fine cut for fitting,put in a small tip,pile on the oxy,and the cut will look like it was cut with a saw. When I was first trained as a burner,the boss told me "a fitter will never burn and a burner will never fit" The rare times that i do fit these days,I have to mentaly tell myself to slow down the cut,run the tip at 90 degrees and clean off the rust/dirt before i start.Compressed gas cylinders will last about twenty minutes at 150# and a #8 tip(baby tip) a liquid oxy tank will last about two days. As far as production goes,a good burner produces 20 ton a day on a bad day of prepared 4 ft. On the crews i have worked on less than twenty ton a day gets you fired on the spot. Good luck burning and just remember that the furnace at the steel plant never checks to see if the cut is straight or square. As a parting tip,all burners have a quarter sized scar on each foot from hot ones in the boot,if you get a hot one,never stop,just grin and bear it and keep slashing

I am impressed. The best day of cutting prepared metal for me is about 5 tons. This was an exceptional day. There is a project that needs to average 50 tons per day. We are not close with 10 torches. Are you for hire because we need some help?

Thankyou for the compliment. The wife would not be impressed if I went off on another road job nor would my present employer. Are you cutting plate and structual or machinery? Burners normaly are paid by the ton produced and the rate varies by whats being cut. I get 15 per ton of P&S and 20 for machinery. Then there is the problem of me being a canuck and working across the border. If you were anywhere near the sea,I could use my sea book and tell them Im going to work on a ship (legal) or try and cross with all my gear in the trunk and tell them im going on vacation at the border (not legal and get me in big poo poo)
Years ago,I tried to get a US work permit,but was told no because i am considered as skilled labour so I will have to decline. There are lots of contractor companys that supply the burners and gear and work on a tonnage basis,you just supply oxy and gas. These guys are not cheap but get the job done in a real hurry. We have one of these guys at the yard cutting 45 ton mill rolls producing 200 ton plus a week but he is burning up 4000$ a week in oxy. This gives you and idea of the scale this can turn into. Depending on what you are cutting,there is also the possibility of shear rental. We have and operator at the yard running a little Komatsu/VTN shear that produces 50 ton a day of P&S. Post some pics of the job and I can tell you what the best route is.

Pictures can be found on a series of threads called a Scrappers Dream: (Metal, Torches, and the main thread.) Any input you might have would be greatly appreciated.

Sorry Beardo, this is not an attempt to hijack your thread, just a chance to get more perspectives.